Malay and Bugis keris are a bit outside my special area of knowledge, but I have owned a lot of them during my life.
I have noted that sometimes they have been varnished with black varnish, not paint, but a type of varnish that gives a very dark, or black finish.
Others I have had have had a normal brown varnish, but age and neglect had turned this varnish very dark to the point of almost black; these have been brought back to a good finish by polishing with car polish broken down with gum turpentine.
|